Broncos return man Trindon Holliday should've held onto the ball a bit longer during his punt return for a TD on Sunday in Charlotte. / Bob Donnan, US Presswire

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Should the Denver Broncos' Trindon Holliday be lucky enough to return another kickoff or punt for a touchdown this season, his next celebration will be far more subdued.

No more flipping the ball out of his hands, and maybe no more "Bernie" dance - the homage to the main character in the movie Weekend At Bernie's that Holliday performed each of the past two weeks after scoring.

The NFL said Monday that his celebration Sunday at the Carolina Panthers was premature.

At the end of his 76-yard punt return, Holliday flipped the ball out of his hands. He thought he dropped it after crossing the goal line, but video showed the ball was out before Holliday scored. The play should have resulted in a touchback - not a touchdown.

The game's replay official, Bob Boylston, immediately confirmed the touchdown, so the score was not reviewed. This was a mistake the league said in a statement released Monday afternoon.

"Boylston should have stopped the game to initiate an instant replay review," the statement read. "Had that occurred, [referee Alberto] Riveron would have had the indisputable visual evidence necessary to overturn the on-field ruling."

Holliday, after watching video his return on Monday, agreed that he dropped the ball too soon.

"Coach told me next time to just bring him the ball so we'll be alright," Holliday said Monday. "That's the new plan: Just cross the goal line and bring him the football to be on the safe side."

The NFL also admitted Monday that the game clock ran for more than a minute when it should have been stopped during a first-down measurement in the second quarter of the 49ers-Rams game.